Welcome to our guest contributor, Brian Reich, marketing guru and author of SHIFT & RESET: STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING SERIOUS ISSUES IN A CONNECTED SOCIETY, who has provided the following exclusive for The Alternative Consumer:

We live in a time of incredible excitement and opportunity. Our world is globalized, smaller, tightly connected and more deeply intertwined world than ever before. Still, many of the most pressing issues that challenge our society today aren’t being properly addressed. We are standing on the sidelines, waiting for real change to occur–missing out on our opportunity to have a meaningful impact.

Let me be clear: You don’t need to wait around for an organization to be formed for you to take actions that help address today’s issues. You can begin thinking differently now. Individuals must go beyond simply expressing their desire for change or complaining about the lack of progress. We all must take responsibility for the need to shift our thinking and reset our approach.

What can you do? Stop buying crap.

We have control over what we buy, what we read, who we connect with in ways that couldn’t have been imagined just a few years ago. We have the ability to make purchases and invest in organizations that align with our values and advance an agenda we agree will improve how society operates. There is no excuse for buying crap. We know better options are available. The message you send with a purchase – to a business that cares about its customers, and to your connections who want guidance on how to act themselves – is powerful.

We all fall short. For marketers, it’s easier to think of new, far-reaching awareness campaigns–-a successful concert leads to a tour, a successful telethon leads to a telethon industry—than to develop a sustained effort to address a cause. As individuals it’s far easier to buy into hype created by marketing, believing our limited participation will lead to long-term impact. The short-term benefits can be great for all involved. But there are limits to the value and effectiveness of awareness campaigns. Awareness alone doesn’t solve anything.  (more…)

According to Portland, Oregon based artist Dave Sage, “I love to carve yard debris wood. There is so much of it here in Portland. The homeowners and arborists are happy to give it to me and avoid a trip to the landfill.”

It’s a sustainable win-win … Trees receive a renewed life in a new form – as a planter, chair, table, bench or work of art; and virgin wood isn’t cut down to create each piece. Sage decides exactly what to carve, based on the unique qualities of each piece of found timber or salvaged wood. All items featured above and below are made from reclaimed Redwood.

find more one-of-a-kinds and contact info @ davesagedesign.com.

Here’s a toy that can serve as a child’s first introduction to the wonders of renewable energy.

Swiss toy-makers, Betrand and Masha Metrailler, create these nifty solar airplanes out of solid chestnut. When exposed to sunlight, or another strong light source, the propeller spins – the stronger the light, the faster it spins.

No batteries or switches to interfere with the toy’s performance. The Metraillers also make a solar helicopter. (more…)

• Bad weather pummels the region again…More Than 2.4 Million Without Power as Northeast Recovers From Storm – cnn
• This story is laden with so much irony that we’re posting it again…Skeptic Now Agrees Global Warming is Real – yahoo! news
• Rare Bangladesh Dolphins Get Sundarbans Sanctuaries – bbc
• They propose shocking your privates. Any volunteers? ‘Shock’ Therapy May Improve Erectile Dysfunction – livescience
• Big gulp…Huge, 16 Foot Everglade’s Python Eats Adult Deer – msnbc

After a morning yoga session I brewed a cup of Yogi green tea and took a few minutes to chill with the November issue of Whole Living. And what did I uncover? Aside from their usual array of scrumptious looking recipes (this month they feature the oft neglected “sides” – from corn bread to sweet potato, green beans and a tempting acorn squash with quinoa and pistachios) …

• Rachel Meltzer Warren’s Too Much of a Good Thing (7 common eating habits that may be sabotaging your health – dried fruit alert)
• Jolene Hart’s Ancient Skin Wisdom (According to Ayuervedic principles, are you predominantly vata, pitta or kapha? Know your dosha and learn how to care for your skin)
• how to make a refreshing do-it-yourself facial mask based on in-season clementines
• the benefits of a quick juice cleanse (give your liver a break).

Here’s looking forward to more good things in November, a time to reflect and reconnect. What are you looking forward to? If you’ve lost power in the northeast due to that surprise snowstorm yesterday, let me guess … power, heat and a good night’s sleep.

Stay warm and stylish on these chilly fall days and get more mileage with your sleeveless and skimpy wardrobe with earth-minded rockin’ arm and leg warmers.

Initially peddling her wares to rock concert goers by literally pedaling about on a tricycle pulling a wagon full of RocknSocks, indie graphic designer Misty Reilly now exhibits a full line of eco friendly solids and patterned crew & knee socks, over the knees, thigh highs, as well as arm and leg warmers at green festivals, boutiques and natural food stores throughout the US and Canada.

Helping to keep discarded material from entering the wastestream and conserve water, land and energy in the manufacturing process,  (more…)

(above) With a nod to French romantic style and vintage cloche hats, Chicago-based indie designer MojoSpaStyle will hand crochet this Felt Flower to order. Allow 2-3 weeks; $45 (more…)

Furniture designer Ryan Frank launched his new, contemporary, upcycled collection of home products at the Roomservice Design Gallery in Barcelona, Spain, to coincide with Barcelona Design Week.

Pictured above and at right are lamps from his AYO – A(dd)Y(our)O(wn) – lighting range. The lamps give everyone the chance to be part designer and manufacturer. The lights are designed without lampshades to encourage the re-use and recycling of everyday objects from the garden, house or street. The base of the lamp is made from rebar and natural rubber.

For Roomservice Design Gallery, Frank fitted the lights with a series of iconic Spanish objects he salvaged from the streets of Barcelona, including: fruit crates, olive oil tins and pickle jars.

“I like products that can inspire people to bring discarded objects back in the home and help create awareness of local materials” adds Frank.

• First, they should have to finish paying their bill…BP Approved to Drill Again in Gulf of Mexico – san francisco chronicle
• Is he art – or an eight-foot tall piece of beach litter? Giant Lego Man May Soon Be Released From Custody – myway
• US Launches Advanced Weather and Climate Satellite – bbc
• Is there light at the end of the solar tunnel? California Eyes Solar Path Around Solyndra Wreckage – reuters
• The fight against an invasive species takes a culinary turn…Snuffing Out Snakeheads by Putting Them on the Plate – npr
• Python Hearts May Hold Key to Human Cardiac Disease – livescience